Q&A: Pioneer heart surgeon on the development and long-term potential of robotic aortic valve replacement

Robotic aortic valve replacement (RAVR) is a new minimally invasive treatment option for symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS) that uses advanced robotic surgical systems. It has already started gaining momentum as an alternative to both surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Robotic aortic valve replacement (RAVR) image courtesy of WVU School of Medicine.

It's early for RAVR, but the minimally invasive technique has already started gaining momentum as an alternative to both SAVR and TAVR. We spoke to Vinay Badhwar, MD, one of the world’s leading voices in robotic heart surgery, to learn more.

Off-label TAVR for native aortic regurgitation linked to worse outcomes

jenavalve TAVR valve for aortic regurgitation acquired by Edwards

The JenaValve Trilogy TAVR valve, as seen at TCT 2023. 

Targeting aortic regurgitation with TAVR valves built to treat aortic stenosis may be the only option a cardiologist has—but valves designed specifically to treat AR are linked to much better outcomes, according to a new meta-analysis. Edwards Lifesciences recently acquired the two companies at the center of this study, JenaValve and JC Medical.

Shockwave Medical’s IVL technology still safe, effective in patients with calcified nodules

The use of intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is still safe and effective when patients present with calcified nodules (CNs), according to new long-term data published in EuroIntervention.[1] Researchers compared outcomes from patients with and without CNs, highlighting key similarities in stent expansion and luminal gain.

Intravascular lithotripsy in action. Image courtesy of Shockwave Medical, a part of Johnson & Johnson MedTech.

Intravascular lithotripsy is still a safe and effective frontline preparation tool when PCI patients present with calcified nodules, a new two-year study confirmed. Researchers focused on stent expansion and luminal gain, among other key data points.